The Route: Padum-Shilla-Reru-Changpa Tsetanpurne-Phugtal-Purne-Kargyak-Shingo La Base-Ramjak-Pal Lhamo-Darcha
Padum in Zanskar to Darcha in Himachal is an easy trek and very convenient for a first-time trekking experience in the trans-Himalaya. There is only one pass, which is quite rare in this area, and many villages and campsites, so if you want to make it in 10 days or more, it’s quite easy to organise. The only steep bit you have to encounter will be on the day you cross the Shingo La (16,568 ft), but if you start from Padum rather than the reverse route, it won’t be as tough as you get acclimatised well before reaching the pass. If you do the trek from Darcha to Padum, it can be tough and dangerous as you start at 10,827 ft and zoom up to 16,568 ft in the first three trekking days. Bad acclimatisation can lead to altitude sickness, highly avoidable in this remote region.
This trek will lead you towards Lugnak, the valley south-east of Zanskar, used by locals historically for trade between Lahaul in Himachal and Zanskar. Many children from Lugnak valley spend the school year in Manali as schooling in Zanskar is quite poor and the connection with Manali is easy. The Himalayan jewel of Phugtal Monastery is half way from Padum to Darcha. After that, you will meet the magnificence of the Gombu Rangjom rock surrounded by yaks grazing in pastures full of wild flowers.
If you connect this trek with the Lamayuru-Padum trek, you can make this a great 20-day experience. This is a classic and beautiful trek and if you want to do it, I advise you to not wait forever. Do it within the next five years before the road-building exercises in the region destroy Zanskar’s aura of the ‘lost valley’.
DAY ONE
PADUM-SHILLA CAMP
TIME 1½ HOURS
LEVEL EASY
The trek starts at Padum. Padum has several options for stay, but for this trek, a better option is to camp across the river-facing Shilla Village. It’s possible to be dropped here by road from Padum; but you could also hike the short distance along the road. Go through the upper and older part of Padum, heading south. Find the road following the Tsarap River and follow it upstream for 1½ hrs. You will then see a mani wall, grassland and clear water. If you are lucky and there aren’t a couple of other trekking groups crowding the place, this makes for a perfect campsite. On the other side of the river, you will see Shilla Village with a beautiful waterfall.
for treks in Zanskar
DAY TWO
SHILLA CAMP-RERU
TIME 5 HOURS
LEVEL EASY
From the camp, keep to the same jeepable road heading south-east. Walking a little over an hour will bring you to Bardan Gompa. Continue on the road to Mune Gompa. Just after Bardan there is a new wooden bridge and a little further perhaps the last rope bridge you will find in Zanskar. Don’t use it as it’s difficult to know when it will finally collapse! Everybody uses the new one. Around the bridge is a stony landscape and if you look carefully you will find some prehistoric carvings on stones, which prove that the Zanskar region was inhabited by ibex-hunting nomads thousands of years ago. Two more hours along the Tsarap River leading over a plateau will lead you to Mune Monastery. There is a nice campsite just before the gompa if you’re tired and want to quit for the day.
Else, from Mune you can avoid the road and find a short-cut on the plateau till Reru Campsite, which is before the village just near a small reservoir.
DAY THREE
RERU-CHANGPA TSETAN
TIME 6-7 HOURS
LEVEL MODERATE
The good news of the day is that, from now on, you walk on a path that won’t have a truck or jeep passing through. Keep going east-south-east following the Tsarap River, up and down through a dark rocky landscape. There will be some stream crossings. On the other side of the river is Ichar Village with its fortress. There’s a wooden bridge and a rope bridge below the track.
Carry on up on the track to Pepula where there is a tea shop and a large campsite of grey sand. The place is quite dusty and windy, so it’s better to keep on going for an hour until Changpa Tsetan, which is a better option since it has two houses and a good campsite in the fields.
DAY FOUR
CHANGPA TSETAN-PURNE
TIME 4 HOURS
LEVEL MODERATE
Cross the small stream and head east keeping the Tsarap River on your left all day. On the other side of the river you will see Anmu Village. Walk past the villages of Surle, Kalbok and Zantang with its tea shop. After the confluence of the Tsarap and Kargyak rivers, cross the bridge and go up north-east to Purne Village. There are two houses and a nice campsite, which can be quite busy in peak tourist season. All trekkers prefer to camp here so that they can head to Phugtal the following morning. There is a nice waterfall just beyond the camp, towards the fields.
DAY FIVE
PURNE-PHUGTAL-PURNE
TIME 4-5 HOURS
LEVEL MODERATE
From the camp, take the path going up north towards Kangsar (one house only) and walk through the Tsarap Gorge along the Tsarap River. When you reach the bridge, go right if you want to start by visiting the village (30 mins) or cross the bridge on the left and you will discover the fabulous Phugtal Gompa nestled in the cliff.
This Gelug monastery was first built in a cave on the cliff and the later additions were almost beehive-like accretions. On the upper side is an old juniper tree that dominates the entire valley. If you keep hiking up the cliff towards the juniper, you’ll find a path going to Shade Village (2 days away) and Stongde Gompa via the Stongde La (17,060 ft). This is a nice and remote trekking option heading back towards Padum, possible only in September when the water level is low enough to cross the rivers.
At Phugtal, the monks are very friendly. They can arrange lunch and even sleeping quarters at the gompa. The cave has a water point, that only men are allowed to visit. Allow 1½ hrs for the return journey.
DAY SIX
PURNE-KARGYAK
TIME 6-7 HOURS
LEVEL MODERATE
It’s a long but easy day today. Head back south to the bridge on the confluence of the Tsarap and Kargyak rivers. Then head south-east along the Kargyak River towards Yal Village, after which you cross the big village of Testha. Thereafter, continue straight down to Kuru Village. After the village, head down to a bridge and cross the Kargyak River, and continue walking south-east. Cross Tanze, a quiet but important village. It is another 4 hrs to Kargyak from here. In June or July, you will cross a number of summer camps called doksa, with lots of yaks. If you stop in one of them you may get a chance to taste jo, or curd made of yak’s milk.
The best place to camp is opposite Sking Village, 45 mins before Kargyak, just after the confluence of two rivers.
DAY SEVEN
KARGYAK-SHINGO LA BASE
TIME 6 HOURS
LEVEL MODERATE
Suddenly the valley is wider and greener than in the past week of trekking. Remain on the same side of the valley (left bank) and walk south-east to Kargyak (45 mins) until you see the Gombu Rangjom, a monolithic rock that you keep on the left. The path is very clear.
Cross the river and there is a good campsite here, but I would advise you to soldier on for one more hour moving south-west to the Shingo La Base Camp.
DAY EIGHT
SHINGO LA BASE-SHINGO LA-RAMJAK
TIME 7 HOURS
LEVEL TOUGH
Stay on the left side of the valley, going up slowly. The ascent is not so steep and quite easy if you start smoothly. The only problem can be snow on the path, in which case ensure that you have competent guides who can steer you through bad weather. Just before the pass you have to cross snowfields, which will take an hour or two. Shingo La is marked by cairns and prayer flags and, at 16,568 ft, is the highest point of the trek. The views are fantastic but the place is cold and windy. After the pass, the track goes on for half an hour at the same altitude, crossing a torrent (sometimes it’s knee-deep). It then starts a steep descent on a path full of rocks and scree for 2 hrs to Chumik Nagpo (camp possibility at 15,092 ft) and 3 hrs more to Ramjak (better camp at 14,108 ft).
DAY NINE
RAMJAK-PAL LHAMO
TIME 7 HOURS
LEVEL MODERATE
Today is the momentous day that we leave the rocky landscape of Zanskar and enter Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul Valley, the vista gradually becoming green. It is a gradual descent on an easy path southwards, crossing a bridge at Zanskar Sumdo, where you can take a break at the tea shop. Then cross a few streams barefooted and follow the river till you are in Pal Lhamo, where there is a good camp and tea shop.
Cross on the left bank again (good bridge) and after 2 hrs you reach Chika, where the road starts. If you asked for a pick-up, the jeep or bus can come up to here, otherwise follow the road down to Darcha to catch a bus (₹200) or taxi (₹5,000) to Manali (145 km), a 7-hr drive. Arrange the taxi in advance from the trekking agency.
TREK FACTS
Time 9 days
Level Easy to Moderate
Ideal Season Jun to Sep
Location Lugnak Valley, south-east of Zanskar, to Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh